The Berry Easy Technique For Achieving The Blackberry Hair Color Trend

TikTok, which is currently known for churning out more wacky beauty trends than YouTube, has done it again. This time, a simple hair color is trending — the hue, known as blackberry hair, is a dark, low-damage, easy-to-maintain color that nearly anyone can pull off regardless of skin tone, age, or beauty budget. Before you come to the conclusion that TikTok is finally maturing into a platform for reasonable hair, fashion, and beauty advice, there is one major caveat. Creators like @lexx.lucerne have been documenting their experiences, attempting to use actual blackberries to achieve the trending tone.

Consider this your guide to what just may be shaping up to be the most popular subtle hair color of 2023. Whether you plan on visiting a salon, hitting the beauty supply store to try your hand at hair coloring, or throwing caution by reaching for blackberries, here is what to know before you get started. 

If you're wondering whether it's even possible to dye your hair using fruit, the answer is sort of. Unlike products designed to permanently color hair, fruit doesn't come with a developer. It's the developer's job to open the hair cuticle, allowing color molecules to penetrate the fiber and alter the hair's structure. When you apply a fruit puree to your hair, it will only stain the surface of the hair. Additionally, it will likely only be visible if your hair is naturally blonde or bleached. You'll notice that the staining is darker in areas where your hair is more damaged or porous and very light or nonexistent in other areas. This unevenness can lead to problems the next time you attempt to color your hair over this uneven base.

If you have your heart set on attempting to color your hair with blackberries, the process is simple. First, mash or blend enough fresh or thawed frozen blackberries to cover your hair. Wash your hair and dry it with a blow dryer on high heat to open the cuticles as much as possible, but stop before it's completely dry. Apply the fruit puree to your slightly damp hair and cover it with a shower cap or plastic grocery bag for two hours. Rinse with warm water and dry before taking a peek at the final look. 

Love the look of blackberry hair, but not ready to risk messy and uneven staining? You can achieve even, perfectly curated, dark, and moody blackberry hair without ever touching a piece of fruit. The most surefire way to get exactly what you want is to simply go to a salon. If your hair is currently light, the stylist will likely color it as dark as you desire and then add a berry-colored gloss on top. If your hair is already dark, the gloss may be enough to achieve the look you want.

If you're more of a DIY babe, the easiest route to blackberry hair is to look for an all-in-one box dye that you can use at home. Closely follow the mixing and application directions on the box, leave the mixture on covered hair for the recommended amount of time, and follow it up with a color-safe deep conditioning treatment. Dry, style, and admire the blackberry hair you achieved without sacrificing any actual berries.